The Eight Best Dota 2 Heroes for a Beginner to Rock Right Away

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Dota 2 is known for its complicated strategies, twisted mind games and a ridiculous amount of information you have to learn about. If you are coming to the game fresh, the number of Dota 2 characters can be overwhelming. Don’t worry, we have prepared a list of great Dota heroes suitable for a smooth start. Also, other players in your team won’t rage at you if you play these Dota 2 champions, as they are easy to master for a beginner.

1. Crystal Maiden

Despite being a support, Crystal Maiden belongs to the pool of Dota 2 easy heroes and is a solid pick for any newcomer. Support roles are usually reserved for more experienced players. Despite the outward simplicity of running around and healing everyone, a good support has to monitor the map during the game, help your teammates in-time and perform a lot of other subtle functions that require great control of the character.

Due to being a versatile hero, CM can be both a solid support pick, as well as a more offensive frontline fighter. Her freezing skills are useful in slowing down or stunning enemies, while you are waiting for your carry to arrive and finish off the opponents. Arcane Aura is another excellent ability allowing all friendly units to enjoy a higher mana level, which is during the early game. And Freezing Field is stunning for initiating mass fights and scoring a few kills.

Best With: Ursa, Juggernaut, Lina

Bad Against: Clockwerk, Nyx Assassin, Bristleback

Good Against: Phantom Assassin, Templar Assassin, Slark

Items to Buy: Tranquil Boots, Glimmer Cape, Force Staff, Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, Aghanim’s Scepter

Talent Tree — 10: +100 Cast Range, 15: +150 Gold/Min, 20: +60 FF Damage, 25: +300 CN Damage

2. Omniknight

Omniknight acts as a bridge between offensive and defensive support. The first skill, Purification, heals all allies while dealing damage to enemies in a small area nearby. What is incredible about this first skill is that it deals pure damage, meaning no armor or magic resistance will save your enemies. The second skill, Repel, is a purely supportive one – the hero grants 100% protection to a living moving target. Be careful about this, as a misclick can make your foe or even a creep immune to magic.

For ultimate protection, the Knight can summon a Guardian Angel, that grants the hero and all surrounding allies 100% immunity from physical damage. Omni’s passive ability, Degen Aura, slows down and weakens enemies who are getting too close. With Omniknight, you’ll have ultimate fun protecting your allies and scoring kills.

Best With: Phantom Assassin, Huskar, Pudge

Bad Against: Dota 2 Invoker, Enchantress, Oracle

Good Against: Phantom Assassin, Spectre, Lifestealer

Items to Buy: Guardian Greaves, Lotus Orb, Blink Dagger, Refresher Orb, Assault Cuirass, Aghanim’s Scepter

Talent Tree — 10: +90 Gold/Min, 15: +90 Damage, 20: -12% Degen Aura, 25: +200 PD/Heal

3. Sniper

This hero is a perfect choice for a newbie, as he can deal tons of damage from a long range. He doesn’t have a variety of skills and somewhat depends on building items to rebuff primary right-click damage. His skills are designed to increase the chances of hitting an enemy. Take Aim increases the attack range, while Headshot increases the chance to deal extra damage and briefly slow enemies. If you need even a bit more damage paired with a slowing effect, Shrapnel is here to help. Sniper Dota 2 lofts a ball of shrapnel, which explodes and covers the range area in explosives.

Purchasing Dragon lamps for attack range, and Yasha or Butterfly for agility and attack speed will make you the deadliest hero on the map. Seriously, your enemies won’t even know where the shots came from! The fact that you can attack from a long range makes Dota 2 Sniper one of the best Dota 2 beginner heroes.

Best With: Drow Ranger, Ogre Magi, Vengeful Spirit

Bad Against: Bounty Hunter, Clockwerk, Slark

Good Against: Drow Ranger, Enigma, Silencer

Items to Buy: Power Treads, Hurricane Pike, Daedalus, Silver Edge, Mjollnir, Butterfly

Talent Tree — 10: +20 Damage, 15: 40 Attack Speed, 20: +35 Knockback Distance Headshot, 25: +125 Attack Range

Sniper build Dota 2

4. Tidehunter

If you are up for some head-on fighting rather than supporting your teammates or being a deadly ninja in a bush, Tidehunter is for you. This hero has one of the best ultimate abilities to start a mass fight and set your team up for some easy kills. Tidehunter slams the ground, causing tentacles to erupt in all directions, damaging and slowing your enemies. Make sure you equipped a Blink Dagger to ambush your opponents with your powerful attack. The rest of your item build should focus on helping you stay alive. Kraken Shell performs a similar function, giving the character nice physical damage block and purging him of any negative effects of enemies’ spells.

Anchor Smash reduces the damage your opponents can deal while hurting them in the process. Paired with the defensive Kraken Shell, this makes up a perfect fight starter kit. And if your enemies are running in terror, send a mighty wave using your Gush skill to slow them down and finish what you have begun.

Best With: Naga Siren, Jakiro, Invoker

Bad Against: Disruptor, Outworld Devourer, Ursa

Good Against: Batrider, Slardar, Windrunner

Items to Buy: Guardian Greaves, Pipe of Insight, Blink Dagger, Refresher Orb, Force Staff, Shivas Guard

Talent Tree — 10: +80 Gush Damage, 15: +25% Anchor Shamsh Damage Reduction, 20: +24 Kraken Shell Damage Block, 25: 25% Cooldown Reduction

5. Bristleback

Bristleback is a melee hero, which aren’t usually considered to be a smart choice Dota 2 for beginners, as you are subjecting yourself to too much danger without proper hero control and click speed. However, this one is rather simple and allows you to learn the tricks of close-quarters combat in Dota. BB is a tank hero with high survivability during massive team clashes, and at the same time, this hero won’t die quickly.

Viscous Nasal Goo will slow your enemies and reduce their armor. The skill can stack and refresh its duration. For example, with the maximum four stacks, the total speed reduction will be 32%. Quill Spray is an offensive skill with an impressive maximum damage of 550. The damage stacks when the ability hits an enemy within 14 seconds of the previous hit. The third skill, Bristleback, will protect you from rear damage, and the ultimate ability, Warpath, increases movement speed and damage every time Bristleback casts a spell.

Best With: Crystal Maiden, Io, Drow Ranger

Bad Against: Antimage, Legion Commander, Outworld Devourer

Good Against: Chaos Knight, Luna, Broodmother

Items to Buy: Power Treads, Crimson Guard, Blade Mail, Heart of Tarrasque, Octarine Core, Assault Cuirass

Talent Tree — 10: +2 Mana Regen, 15: +250 Health, 20: +20 Health Regen, 25: 15% Spell Lifesteal

6. Viper

Viper is another versatile hero and can perform various functions depending on the play style. He can be a semi-carry, as Viper Dota 2 is good at harassing enemies early in the game, especially if you pick him for the side lanes. Poison is what makes this character so good at biting off your enemies’ health. Survivability and damage build both work well for this hero, and he will do a great deal of damage when paired with a skilled melee hero (try to cooperate with a more skilled buddy).

Dota 2 Viper’s passive abilities, Poison Attack and Corrosive Skin, both slow and damage the enemy. Nethertoxin damages the opponents, disables their passives and lowers their magical resistance, setting your team up for a kill. And if all the slow-downs weren’t already enough, Viper’s ultimate decreases an opponent’s attack and movement speed, while inflicting poison damage over time. Purchase Aghanim’s Scepter to reduce ulti’s cooldown from 30 to 10 seconds and ambush your enemies non-stop.

Best With: Drow Ranger, Clockwerk, Faceless Void

Bad Against: Antimage, Legion Commander, Outworld Devourer

Good Against: Enchantress, Abbadon, Antimage

Items to Buy: Power Treads, Hurricane Pike, Butterfly, Black King Bar, Monkey King Bar, Heart of Tarrasque

Talent Tree — 10: %8 Spell Lifesteal, 15: +100 Attack Range, 20: +100 Viper Strike DPS, 25: +120 Damage

7. Dragon Knight

We believe that it’s not a coincidence that Dota 2 Dragon Knight is the first hero you have to play during the educational tutorial. DK can be either played as a carry or a tank, and does great in both roles. Three of his skills are active, and only one is a passive. The skill set is simple. Breath of Fire both damages your enemies and reduces their attack power. The skill also has an impressive range (travel distance + end radius). The second skill, Dragon Tail, is a melee range attack that stuns the enemy and deals small damage. When in Elder Dragon form, the range is increased up to 400.

The only passive skill, Dragon Blood, increases your surviving ability, giving you an armor boost and improving regeneration speed, thus making Dragon Knight one of the best Dota 2 hero for a newbie. And finally, the ultimate ability, Elder Dragon Form, is an epic and fun way to smash your enemies and gain the upper hand. Just make sure you don’t waste it, as you’ll have to wait for almost two minutes for the ability to restore.

Best With: Crystal Maiden, Vengeful Spirit, Omniknight

Bad Against: Outworld Devourer, Ancient Apparition, Timbersaw

Good Against: Clinkz, Templar Assassin, Bloodseeker

Items to Buy: Power Treads, Silver Edge, Assault Cuirass, Black King Bar, Daedalus, Heart of Tarrasque

Talent Tree — 10: +2 Mana Regen, 15: +35 Damage, 20: 2x Dragon Blood Regen HP/Armor, 25: +40 Strength

8. Ogre Magi

This hero concludes our “Dota 2 learner starter pack”. Dota 2 Ogre Magi is a great choice for a Dota 2 newbie for several reasons, two of them being the enormous health pool and possibility of enhanced burst damage. The character is a great roaming and in-lane support, as well as being a helpful ganker, but these roles will be reversed when you understand the game better. Ogre Magi has three active skills, one passive skill and one extra skill granted by Aghanim.

Fireblast, the first skill, deals damage and stuns the target. Ignite has an impressive cast range. This ability deals damage over time and slows your enemies. Bloodlust is a typical support skill – it sends your allies in a battle frenzy, increasing attack and movement speed of friendly heroes Dota 2. And finally, the famous passive ability that makes Ogre Magi a powerful and, which is even worse, unpredictable hero. This ability allows the hero to cast his spells multiple times, and also adds extra boost for each of the skills.

Best With: Sniper, Luna, Drow Ranger

Bad Against: Meepo, Chaos Knight, Lifestealer

Good Against: Io, Templar Assassin, Treant Protector

Items to Buy: Arcane Boots, Force Staff, Aghanim Scepter, Aether Lens, Shiwas Guard, Octarine Core

Talent Tree — 10: +90 Gold/Min, 15: +300 Health, 20: +40 Bloodlust AS, 25: +275 Fireblast Damage

Ogre Magi builds

For a smooth beginning, you can purchase a Dota + subscription with tips and extended analytics of your play. Also, make sure to check other Dota 2 articles and learn various playing styles to rock right away

Who do you believe are the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners? Share your opinion on our Facebook and Twitter pages to bring out the truth and help beginner players find their ideal signature hero, at least for their first games. 

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